DOWNLOADS (PDF FORMAT)

Jasper National Park Draft Management Plan 24Nov09.pdf
Banff National Park Management Plan Working Draft - October 26, 2009.pdf
Newsletter - Banff National Park Management Plan Review - 2009-10-23.pdf
Kootenay NP Management Plan Newsletter.pdf
Kootenay Management Plan Working Draft for Public Review.pdf

Dear Canoe and Kayak Clubs:

The seven mountain national parks are all significantly updating their management plans, and management teams are seeking public input by December 17th. Thus far, they have apparently heard a lot from the tourism industry and the environmental sector. However, ACTUAL PARK USERS, which represents a large portion of people 'somewhere in the middle' have been virtually silent! Please take some time to go through the three steps below to give your input! It will make a difference.

First and foremost, I want to highlight two drafts and their summaries to you as they involve paddling:

Kootenay National Park
see page 39 in the draft plan:

"Work with the paddling community to identify ways to better facilitate and support paddling opportunities on the Vermilion and Kootenay rivers. Considerations include access/egress points, portage trails, riverside camping, and trip planning information."

Questions to consider:
Are there other rivers or lakes we should be telling them to add to this?
Are there other considerations we would like to add to this? (e.g. what about volunteer adopt-a-river activities like we do in Banff? What about use levels? Safety considerations?)

Banff National Park
Banff's draft plan currently says nothing about paddling like the Kootenay one - we might want to submit input that is similar to what they have in the Kootenay plan, but where do we focus - on the Bow River, where we do our adopt-a-river activities / trips?

Of course, feel free to comment on the plans over all if you have time, and you can find summaries of each draft management plan on the Parks Canada website - just go to each mountain park, and click on What's New to download each summary.

www.pc.gc.ca

IT'S EASY - THREE STEPS TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE
1. Review the draft plan(s) - attached
2. Make notes
3. Send an email to Mike Murtha with your thoughts and opinions on the Banff draft plan: mike.murtha@pc.gc.ca and send an email to Todd Keith for Kootenay: todd.keith@pc.gc.ca

If anyone is interested, here's a detailed letter that was recently submitted by the Bow Valley Naturalists on the Banff draft plan, and a list of other contacts to send your letter to if you so choose:

http://www.bowvalleynaturalists.org/html/letter__parks_plan.html

• Hon. Jim Prentice,
Minister, Environment Canada
e-mail: Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca
House of Commons, Ottawa, ON KlA 0A6

• Hon. David McGuinty,
Liberal Environment Critic
e-mail: McGuinty.D@parl.gc.ca
House of Commons, Ottawa, ON KlA 0A6

• Hon. Linda Duncan,
NDP Environment Critic
e-mail: Duncan.L@parl.gc.ca
House of Commons, Ottawa, ON KlA 0A6

• Hon. Bernard Bigras,
BQ Environment Critic
e-mail: Bigras.B@parl.gc.ca
House of Commons, Ottawa, ON KlA 0A6
(no postage needed for the above)

• Alan Latourelle, CEO
Parks Canada Agency
Jules Leger Bldg.
7 Floor, 25 Eddy St.
Hull, QC K1A 0H3
e-mail: Alan.Latourelle@pc.gc.ca

• Kevin Van Tighem
Superintendent, Banff Field Unit
Box 900
Banff, AB T1L 1A9
e-mail: Kevin.VanTighem@pc.gc.ca

• Pam Veinotte
Superintendent, KYLL Field Unit
Box 220
Radium Hot Springs, BC V0A 1M0
e-mail: Pam.Veinotte@pc.gc.ca